Meaning & usage
とは限らない denies an expected generalization and means something is not always the case or not necessarily true. It is often used with words like いつも, 必ずしも, or 全て to push back against an assumption. It follows the plain form of verbs and i-adjectives, and nouns and na-adjectives with or without だ, as in 幸せだとは限らない or 幸せとは限らない. The だ is commonly dropped in conversation, and the form sounds neutral rather than formal.
Example sentences 6
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全ての動物が野生であるとは限らない。
Not all animals are wild.
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いつも自分の思い通りになるとは限らないよ。
You cannot always have your own way.
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この辞書の全ての単語が重要だとは限らない。
Not every word in this dictionary is important.
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辞書に書いてあることが、常に正しいとは限らない。
What a dictionary says is not always right.
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仕事はいつも９時に始まるとは限らないんだ。
Work doesn't always begin at nine.
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金持ちが必ずしも幸せとは限らない。
The rich are not always happy.
In past JLPT papers
This came up in 1 past exam question.
